


Precious Little Critter

by Sutera Tsuki (Fanschaotictrash)



Series: Kizaya One Shots [2]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Adult Masaomi, Affection, Blushing, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Breakfast, Comedy, Comfort, Cute, Cutesy, Dirty Jokes, Flowers, Forehead Kisses, Gentle Kissing, Insecurity, Living Together, Long, Love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mischief, Morning Cuddles, Nervousness, One Shot, Public Display of Affection, Romance, Romance One Shot, Romantic Gestures, Sharing a Bed, Sleepy Cuddles, Suits, Sweet, True Love, Valentine's Day, date, kizaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanschaotictrash/pseuds/Sutera%20Tsuki
Summary: Kizaya one shot for Valentine’s day. Masaomi had no idea what to get Izaya for Valentine's Day yet, as he tries to break the news to him, Izaya has a confession of his own.Thank you, everyone, for your continued support! Whether you're dating or single, I hope you have a great day!
Relationships: Kida Masaomi/Orihara Izaya, Kishitani Shinra/Celty Sturluson, Ryuugamine Mikado/Sonohara Anri
Series: Kizaya One Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2129454
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Precious Little Critter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yellow_Bakyura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yellow_Bakyura/gifts), [Aoi_chan405](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoi_chan405/gifts), [ben4kevin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ben4kevin/gifts).



> Well, this was rushed due to me sucking at time management and ended up being longer than I expected. Hopefully it doesn't show! Thank you so, so, so much for your continued support and I hope you have a great Valentine's day!

_ It turns out, not knowing what to get Izaya for Valentine’s day was the least of my worries. I sat there, completely stunned, unsure what to say or do, my body frozen. The day had started out normally… _

It was Valentine's day and I woke up feeling anxious. I had brainstormed all week and I couldn't think of anything to get Izaya. I was tempted to just give him chocolates but, I knew he hated sweets and didn't want to come off as unthoughtful. My next idea was flowers, but I didn't know which ones he'd like and they'd just end up dying anyway. Clothes were another good option, yet I didn't know any expensive brands and he was pretty picky about style. In the end, I had so many doubts about every idea that I didn't go with any of them at all. I wasn't sure what was worse, getting him something he'd dislike or nothing at all. We had planned to go out together with friends today and I wasn't sure how to break it to him.

I woke up before him, surprisingly, rolling over on my side and peeking at his slumbering face. He looked so innocent sleeping, his usually sharp expression gone slack, looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I smiled to myself. Seeing him like this, you wouldn’t suspect him of anything nefarious, nor would you think he was such a schemer. His sleeping position was pretty adorable too. He laid on his stomach all stretched out, hand lingering on my hand, making me blush. I gently reached over and stroked his cheek, my face turning red. His skin was so soft, so delicate feeling, I almost worried about snagging it. It might have been as sensitive as it seemed considering it made him flinch, stirring. His cherry eyes fluttered open, squinting tiredly into the dim room. It took him a moment to process it all, I could practically see the stalled wheels in his head slowly start to turn again. When he had finally adjusted, he wrinkled his nose, pouting over at me.

“Morning. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” I said quietly. Wasn’t he the one that always insisted on getting up early? It took him a moment, but he eventually replied with a slight smile.

“Good morning,  _ my dear _ ~. Is it the fourteenth already?” he asked jokingly and I laughed, nodding.

“Yeah.” Guilt filled me and I bit my lip. He offered me a loving look, reaching up, fingers tracing my lips, causing them to relax.

“Well then, happy Valentine’s day, my one,” he said in that syrupy voice that always made my heart race.

“H-happy Valentine’s day to you too,” I said, stammering nervously and he chuckled.

“What time is it?” he asked. It might seem like a strange question but, we both had a tendency of waking up in the middle of the night, or well, morning technically. I lazily checked the clock on the bedside table.

“Eight,” I informed him and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close and resting my head in his chest.

“It’s too early,” he decided, kissing the top of my head. My cheeks flushed and I looked up at him.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to get up early?” I pointed out.

“Yes, and I will, after  _ you’ve  _ fallen asleep,” he said. I glared at him.

“How does that make any sense? If you’re getting up I want to get up t…” My complaining soon melted away as he pulled me closer, rubbing my back. I snuggled into his chest, consumed by the warmth, eyes drooping. His hand slipped under my chin, making me look up as he lowered his face to mine.

“Were you saying something?” he wondered, his breath brushing my face. 

“N-no,” I said and he nuzzled me, making my heart flutter. My eyes shut and I drifted off again. “Rest well, my love.”

I woke up sometime later to the smell of syrup and pancakes wafting up to the bedroom. The way this specific apartment was set up, the bed was upstairs with a balcony overlooking the main room. We only ever used this apartment when we weren’t planning on inviting anyone over, considering the lack of privacy. Plus, it was quieter here. My mouth watered and I sat up, rubbing at my eyes. More light shined through the windows and I wondered how long I was out for. I heard someone coming up the stairs. Izaya appeared from around the corner, still wearing his silk robes, grinning when he saw I was awake.

“Good, you’re awake. I made breakfast for you, why don’t you come down?” he said then, seeing my hesitance, “We’re expected to meet the others soon so, going back to sleep isn’t an option anymore.” I grumbled.

“Okay,” I said, looking down at the floor, trying to will my legs to move, but the bed was so comfortable! All of the beds we shared seemed extra fluffy and warm. He approached me, bending down.

“Do you want me to carry you?” he asked with seductive eyes, causing my whole face, no, my neck and ears too, to turn red.

“I mean...if you want to,” I said shyly and he took that as a yes, arm swooping under my knees, his other hand resting on my back as he pulled me up and carried me bridal style. He looked down at me lovingly for a moment before moving towards the stairs. 

“You really  _ do  _ look adorable in those,” he said teasingly of my pajamas and I pouted. Considering the holiday, last night, Izaya finally managed to convince me to wear those pink heart PJs he bought for me a while back. He knew the idea of wearing girly clothes made me flustered, so, naturally, he bought them for me whenever he had the chance. I still couldn’t believe he had actually talked me into it. I could still remember the interaction...

“Masa~! What about these?” I had peeped my head out of the shower, having recently finished. I was in the process of drying off when he entered.

“What? No way, I’m not wearing that!” I had said. Izaya had asked if he could pick out my pajamas this time and I had stupidly agreed. He stood by the doorway, holding the hanger with the fuzzy, pink PJs in question. At times like these, he always kept a comfortable distance, which was sweet of him. What wasn’t so sweet was his big, satisfied grin. 

“Why not? You’d look good in them,” he had whined. I blushed.

“W-well, maybe but...they’re so cutesy and you’d make fun of me!” I had argued. He laughed.

“If you wear them, I promise not to make fun of you,” he had said, his voice becoming more sly as he continued, “After all, how could I make fun of you when I’ll be thoroughly distracted by how  _ adorable  _ you’ll look?” I quickly retreated back into the shower, closing the door and turning my back to him as my face became heated. He should have known better than to compliment me at  _ that  _ moment in  _ that  _ tone. He came a little closer. “I promise to give you extra cuddles.” I sighed, finally giving in, partially opening the door and sticking my hand out, reaching for them.

“Fine, hand them over!” I concluded grumpily.

Oh, so that’s how. “I’m glad you like them…” I finally said through puffed up cheeks.

“Yes, I adore them even!” he said, bringing me closer to him and I clung onto his robes as he descended the stairs.

“You have weird tastes.” He brought me to the nice, black couch, setting me down and wrapping me in my fuzzy blanket. I mean, it was technically ours but Izaya never used it and probably never would, so. It was a gift Shinra got us when we “officially” moved in together and Izaya completely scoffed at the concept. I looked for the source of the sweet pancake smell. Two plates sat on the coffee table, one with scrambled eggs and toast and the other, the one in front of me, containing pancakes, syrup, whipped cream, and strawberries. The strawberries were placed into a heart. My eyes widened. “Iza, I didn’t know you could make pancakes!” he sat down next to me.

“Originally I couldn’t, but I’ve been practicing,” he said, starting to cut into his eggs. He was doing all of this for me, and what did I have to show for it? I looked down at my knees self consciously.

Izaya gently nudged me. “What’s that dark look for? Don’t tell me you’ve lost your sweet tooth all of the sudden.” I shook my head, smiling a little.

“I haven’t, don’t worry. Thanks for this,” I said and he titled his head, laughing.

“What’s wrong then? Did you have a nightmare?” he wondered. What was wrong? Well, in reality, nothing was wrong and, oddly enough, that was the problem. The relationship had a rocky start, no, rocky is an under exaggeration, but, over the years we had smoothed things over and had been happily together for a long time. I was getting more confident and it really felt like he was  _ mine _ , yet, holidays like this always made me rethink everything. It seemed as if I always failed to give or do something truly meaningful for Izaya and, with all that building up I couldn’t help but think I didn’t really know him as well as I thought. If that were the case and I just kept failing, what was he getting out of the relationship? He always comforted me, made me laugh, gave me gifts, and did me favors, what did  _ I  _ do for him? Despite it all, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I had messed up again. I pulled my knees up to my chest.

“It’s just…” I didn’t get you anything, “...I’ve started to worry. Our relationship seems to be going well but, Izaya, and be honest, am I really good enough for  _ you? _ ” He blinked, alarmed. “I mean, it feels like you do so much for me and I don’t do enough for you. I really do try my best but..I’m sorry.”

He took a bit to process this, then burst out laughing. I flinched back, alarmed, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “W-what?” He was laughing so hard he was crying, indicating for me to wait until he calmed down. He eventually did, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“You had me worried there for a second! I’m sorry, I just find it ironic for...reasons. As for your concern, knowing the both of us, I think the question you should really be asking yourself is am  _ I  _ good enough for  _ you _ ?” he asked and I responded immediately.

“Of course you are!” I was the one underperforming. He seemed startled but smiled, leaning over and kissing my temple.

“Well, you’re good enough for me too,” he said and his words made my chest warm. Although, if he realized I hadn’t gotten him anything, would he still feel the same? He gave me a playful look. “Now that we’ve settled that,  _ eat _ . You’re going to make us late.”

“Right, sorry!”

We watched TV as we ate, commenting on some weird romance that was on at the time. Izaya found it absurd but I thought it was kind of cute. Once we finished breakfast, Izaya practically had to drag me off the couch, I was stalling so much.

“What’s wrong? Are you worried about seeing your friends?” he asked after I kept refusing to get up, wrapped up in a nervous ball. I looked away, blushing. “Aw, you still get date nerves? It’ll be fine! Haven’t I told you over and over again? No matter what happens, as long as I can spend time with you I’ll enjoy it.” He scooped up my round form, cradling and carrying me up the stairs. I whined and he stroked my head. “Now, now. Both your friends and I will be terribly upset if you ditch. I’m sure whatever you’re worried about won’t happen,” he said softly, kissing me on the forehead. I really hoped it wouldn’t. When he made it upstairs he paused. “Do you want to get changed in the bedroom or the bathroom?”

“B-bathroom,” I finally spoke and he smiled.

“Oh, have you finally calmed down?” he asked and I nodded. If I was lucky, maybe I could sneak away and still get him something. I got down from his arms, carefully standing. Well, here goes nothing, I can’t delay it forever. Izaya handed me the neatly hanged suit, giving me a comforting pat on the shoulder and I closed the door, getting dressed.

Izaya had picked out the suits, I didn’t know the first thing when it came to all that. I examined it. It was a white suit with a...pink tie. Of course, he would. Oh well, it did fit with the holiday at least. I brushed my teeth then put it on, staring at myself in the mirror. For a long time, I adjusted it and fussed with my hair. “Masa, hurry up!” he complained from the other side, jangling the locked handle. I combed my hair and redid my part before finally opening up. He stood there in a black suit to contrast mine. His tie was red, adding a small touch of color.

“Do I look okay,” I asked anxiously, tugging at my bangs. He looked me over, making a show of thinking about it.

“The look is almost perfect, it’s just missing one detail,” he said, pulling out a box from the dresser. I watched curiously as he opened it. It was a pink bow, matching the light shade of my tie. It couldn’t be a bowtie, that wouldn’t make sense. A bracelet? Wait, no, don’t tell me… He smirked, using it to brush my bangs aside, clipping it into my hair. “There, perfect!” he said, clapping his hands. I tried to hide behind my bangs but nothing was there. I scrunched up my face and said nothing. “Oh, you’re not even going to fight me?” he teased.

“Well, you bought it for me as a gift, so,” I said, biting my lip. As a habit, I went to tug on my nonexistent bangs and Izaya redirected my hand, letting me tug on his. I giggled at that.

“Thank you, Masa~! Let me use the bathroom and then we can head out,” he said, patting my head and going to get himself sorted. 

He closed the door and took longer than usual. I was starting to become worried until he finally stepped out. I stared at him, amazed. He had slicked back his hair, which, honestly, looked really good, and applied a bit of makeup, making his red eyes pop out more. He did a twirl. “How do I look?” he asked and my cheeks flushed.

“Really good,” I said, barely above a whisper and he had to lean forward to hear me. He grinned then, putting his hands on my shoulders, escorted me down the stairs. 

“Let’s go then~!” he chimed and I laughed.

“Slow down, I don’t want to trip!”

When we were sure we were completely ready (I wanted to make sure we both had our phones and wallets, just in case), he suddenly stopped. 

“I just have to check on something, I’ll be right back,” he said, poking me on the nose with a wink before skipping into the downstairs bathroom. I hoped he wasn’t sick or something.

“Okay,” I said, eyebrows furrowing. Thankfully, he was only in there for a short while.

“Alright, let’s go then,” he said, heading towards the door and pausing when he saw my expression. “Relax, I just had to fix some makeup, I’m picky about these things.”

“R-right,” I said, tucking some hair behind my ear. Of course, I was just overthinking it. “Are you ready then?” He nodded and we headed out. He acted pretty chipper during the walk there and still, something about it felt strange. As we waited in the plaza, he kept fidgeting and adjusting his tie, looking around at nothing in particular. Was he...nervous?

“Hey, Iza, you okay?” I asked and he jumped at the sound of my voice. He turned to me, smiling, though it looked strained.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” he said and I gave him a look.

“I know how things used to be, but they don’t have any problems with you now,” I assured him. He fell silent, chewing on his lip.

I was going to say more but, at around that time, I spotted Celty and Shinra rushing towards us.

“Hey!” Shinra called, holding Celty’s hand in his as they made their way through the crowd. I grinned, waving over. They were both in purple, Shinra wearing a lilac suit with a dark purple flower brooch, Celty wearing a long dress that matched the flower with silver heels. A brooch! That’s what I should have gotten for Izaya, why didn’t I think of that? I fiddled with my fingers nervously as they approached. 

“It took you long enough,” Izaya joked and Shinra offered him a grin.

“Anri and Mikado aren’t even here yet, we still had plenty of time,” he shot back, then, “you both look nice! I like your bow, Masaomi.” I almost forgot I was wearing that.

“T-thanks...I like your brooch,” I said shyly.

“Thank you! It was a present from Celty. I got her a necklace!” he said and Celty showed it to us. It was beautiful. It had a purple jewel surrounded by decorative silver.

“Wow, that looks great!” I said and Izaya nodded.

“It really brings out your…” Izaya began, looking at her face only to be greeted by a puff of black, “...smoke”. Celty laughed.

_ Thank you, both of you. ❤ _

Shinra side-eyed us.

“Is your bow a gift from Izaya?” Shinra asked with a smirk and my face turned red.

“Yeah,” I said, looking down and Izaya put his hand on my chin, making me lookup.

“I bought it so he’d stop hiding his beautiful face but, as you can see, he’s terribly stubborn,” Izaya pouted, giving me an adoring look and my heart skipped a beat.

“ _ Right? _ So is Celty! It took me forever to convince her not to wear a helmet or veil,” Shinra complained.

_ I just didn’t want to scare anyone!  _ she replied.

“Scaring someone would totally be worth it if it meant getting to see your smile!” he replied and Celty’s smoke formed a heart. Izaya offered me a playful eye roll as the two lovebirds stared into each other’s eyes dreamily (well, Celty didn’t have eyes but, I’m sure she returned the look).

“Sorry!” we heard a male voice say nearby in the crowd and we all turned to see two familiar klutzes stumbling towards us. Anri yelped in alarm as she almost fell over in front of us, Mikado pulling her up before she fell to the ground. She was wearing a short burgundy dress with cute, black flats and Mikado wore a red, shiny suit to match.

“Wow!” I said, startled, prepared to catch Anri if I had to.

“Careful you two!” Shinra said with a chuckle. Izaya looked to Mikado, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

“It’s only the start of our outing and you’ve already almost injured Anri. Honestly, you’re both such a  _ wreck _ ,” he mused, though not meanly. They both caught their breath before speaking.

“I’m sorry Anri, he’s right, it was my bad,” Mikado said to Anri, who blushed.

“I-it’s okay,” she replied quietly.

_ I hope you’re alright _ , Celty said to Anri.

“You didn’t sprain your ankle, did you?” Shinra asked, adjusting his glasses as he looked at her.

“Oh, no! I’m fine, thank you!” she said.

“That’s a relief. You two should learn to be less clumsy,” I joked.

“Anyway, we’re so sorry for making you wait!” Mikado said, bowing his head.

“We got distracted,” Anri added, clearly feeling guilty. Celty was about to type a message but Izaya’s words stopped her

“Oh, doing what?” he asked in a mischievous tone and both their eyes widened, faces turning red. Anri hid her face behind her black purse.

“N-nothing like that!” Mikado insisted. 

“It is the day for  _ love _ . No one would shame you,” he said. I scoldingly tugged on his cheek, now embarrassed as well.

“Iza, don’t make them uncomfortable,” I said and he laughed.

“I was only kidding,” he said and the two did their best to calm down.

“Right. Speaking of which, what were  _ you two _ doing beforehand?” Shinra asked, a sparkle in his eyes and I clung onto Izaya’s arm.

_ Shinra, don’t ask them that!  _

“What? It’s just a curious question,” he said with a shrug.

“Sleeping together,” Izaya answered easily and I jumped back, as did Mikado and Anri. My face turned rosy and I gaped at him, unable to respond for a moment.

“You were what?” Anri asked, her glasses nearly falling off. Shinra just grinned and nodded.

“I see,” he said, accepting it without a second thought. Yeah, he would. My cheeks puffed up and I gently hit Izaya’s side.

“Dumbass, don’t make it sound like that! W-we just had a bit of a lazy morning, that’s all he meant,” I clarified and Anri seemed relieved.

“It isn’t like you we were going to ju-” Shinra began but was interrupted by a swift punch in the gut by Celty.

_ Izaya’s just trying to cause mischief, don’t buy into it. _

“Sorry Celty,” Shinra said, hand now on his stomach.

_ Back to the point, the movie doesn’t start for a while, so you two are fine,  _ Celty said to Anri and Mikado, who smiled.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Mikado said.

“Still, it’s getting more crowded by the minute! We should start to head that way, just in case,” Izaya suggested and we all nodded, walking across the plaza as couples. At first, we were more separated but, due to the large crowd, we ended up squished together. Izaya and I were in the middle, Shinra walking next to him and Anri walking next to me. It’s like we created our own little bubble, pushing through the mass of people.

“By the way, I like your bow. I probably should have mentioned that earlier,” Anri said to me kindly and I offered her a smile. 

“Aw, shucks! You guys look great too,” I said and Mikado rubbed the back of his head.

“I’m glad you think so. I’m still not really sure red is my color. It looks great on Anri though!” he said, making her giggle, charmed.

“I bought it for him as a gift. Also yes, you’re right, blue is more your color, but you two look nice together and it fits with the holiday,” Izaya allowed.

“That’s sweet and thanks! I like your black and white suits, I see what you did there,” Mikado said and they gave each other polite smiles.

“Did you two get each other anything?” I asked. Noticing their lack of brooches or jewelry, I just had to ask. I guess I was sort of hoping I wasn’t the only one.

“We bought each other video games and movies. We like doing things with each other, so,” Anri explained. Crap, so I  _ was  _ the only one.

“Those sound like fun gifts! I hope we didn’t drag you away from them,” I said and they both laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry, we enjoy spending time with you guys too!” Mikado assured us.

“Speaking of which, I forgot to ask earlier. Masaomi, did you get Izaya anything?” Shinra asked and a pit formed in my stomach.

“U-um…” I said, desperately trying to come up with an answer. Both Izaya and the others looked at me curiously. I let out a sigh. “The truth is, I really wanted to get him something but…” I paused, hesitating, “well, I didn’t have faith in any of my ideas and, in the end, I was too afraid to get anything.” I then looked at Izaya. “I’m really sorry.” I waited for his disappointed response. He processed then tilted his head and, instead of looking upset, he smiled.

“You shouldn’t have, my one,” he said, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I blink, startled, looking at the others to see if they understood but, I was just meant with equally confused faces. At least he wasn’t angry or...was that his way of being passive-aggressive about it? That was alright, I deserved it. I stared down at my feet as we walked, the conversation dying down.

“There it is!” Mikado eventually spoke up, cutting the tension and pointing at the lit-up theatre. Shinra tried to peer in the glass doors, probably to tell how long the lines were.

“We’re early but, let’s go ahead and get in line, there’s no telling how long it will take,” he decided and so, we headed inside. The lines  _ were  _ pretty long, I mean, it was Valentine’s day and it felt like every couple in Ikebukuro wanted to go on a movie date. Thankfully, we managed to get our food and beverages on time, entering the theatre almost right before the movie started. Despite my previous worries, Izaya acted normal towards me, well, as normal as he gets. He spent most of the time poking my cheek with popcorn as he tried to feed it to me or leaning over his seat to cuddle with me. Then it got to the middle of the movie and he suddenly became pretty distant. He just sat there, staring off into space, a melancholy expression on his face. I tried to comfort him, putting my hand on his but, he either didn’t notice or ignored me. I was pretty distracted throughout the whole movie, yet, it wasn’t like it was that interesting, to begin with. It was your basic jerk meets girl type of story. The romance was bland and the story was boring. None of us were really that impressed. In fact, we all watched the credits in dead silence.

When it ended and the lights came back on Shinra just shrugged saying, “well, it could have been worse.” 

_ There’s  _ **_worse_ ** _ than that?  _ Celty asked in alarm.

“Yeah, sadly,” Mikado said with a nervous laugh, gently stirring Anri, who had nodded off a little. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed, surprised. “Um yeah, it wasn’t too bad.” The three of us chuckled. Izaya still stared ahead blankly and I nudged him.

“Iza, Iza!” I said, eventually pulling him back to reality. He blinked, looking over at me. “Are you alright?” It took him a moment.

“Yes, sorry. I didn’t mean to zone out,” he said, patting me on the head. “Are we leaving then?”

“Yep,” Shinra confirmed, standing and shooting him a concerned glance. We all followed suit, throwing away our trash and making our way back out to the street. I watched Izaya as we walked, keeping my hand on his, which he didn’t fight. I couldn’t read his expression, but his eyes constantly seemed to wonder. I couldn’t help but think he wanted to be somewhere else. “So, where do you all want to eat? I know some nice places we could go.”

_ It’s on us so don’t worry about it,  _ Celty assured us. They then looked at Izaya, as if expecting something. He took a moment to compose himself then smiled, grabbing onto my shoulders.

“Sorry, but I’ll be stealing Masaomi for the rest of the evening. You’ve had your turn,” he said teasingly. I glanced back at him in reply. Had Celty and Shinra known he was going to say that? Was he planning something or did they just think we needed some time alone to talk things out?

“Fair enough, we’ll see you two later then,” Mikado said.

“Yeah, have fun,” Anri agreed while Shinra and Celty offered a small wave.

“Don’t miss us too much,” Izaya said with a smirk, leading me away from the group.

When we were a comfortable enough distance away, he spoke.

“I hope you don’t mind~!” he said and I smiled.

“No, not at all. I like spending time with you,” I said, then, “where are we going?”

“Somewhere nice where we can talk,” he said, giving me a wink. Butterflies filled my stomach. Were we about to argue? This morning had gone so well, if only I had gotten him something.

“O-okay,” I replied anxiously. The location he picked was a fancy restaurant in the nicer part of the city. He talked to the hostess and it became clear to me he had made reservations.

“It should be under the name Izaya Orihara,” he said and she checked her iPad.

“Ah, I see a reservation for two under that name for a private booth. Is that correct?” she asked.

“Yes, that sounds right,” he confirmed.

“Alright, right this way then.” We followed her back into the restaurant. So it wasn’t a spur of the moment thing, that was a little reassuring. That didn’t mean he wasn’t upset, though. We were seated in the private booth, the table situated in a small box with a sliding door. We sat on opposite sides of each other, a waiter quickly giving us glasses of water.

“I’ll be back soon for your orders,” she assured us, closing the door behind us and rushing off. It must have been pretty busy for her, considering. A thick silence fell and I clutched onto my chest.

Izaya peered around. “You think I’m mad, right?” he asked when he was finally sure we were alone. I blinked, surprised. I wasn’t sure why, he had always been observant like that.

“Well, I…” I began but trailed off. 

“I’m not, I promise. It doesn’t hurt me either. Material things have never meant that much to me. They either get lost or break or just sit there, they’re worthless really, replaceable. Though, I treasure and use anything  _ you  _ give me, of course. Still, my point remains. Time spent with someone, however, can’t be so easily bought or replaced. So long as you keep giving me your attention, I’ll be happy,” he said and I looked at him, the tension in my body quickly melting away. He laughed at my relieved glance. “Don’t mistake me as someone that isn’t self-aware. I know I’m not an easy person to give gifts to. I live a lavish lifestyle because I’m so greedy I can’t just wait for things to come to me. I’d rather just buy things myself and never want anything, leaving no room for anyone else. I’m stubbornly independent and I’m sorry for that. But there are some things I can’t give myself, such as someone’s affections. In a way, someone agonizing over what to get me, wasting their time worrying about it being meaningful, is the best present anyone could offer. That’s why earlier today I said ‘you shouldn’t have’, because, really, I’m not deserving of that much of your time and energy.”

“That’s not true!” I replied immediately, alarming him slightly. “Yeah, maybe you’re a little difficult sometimes, but, so am I! I’m sure you get annoyed by how insecure I am.” I looked down at the table.

“I don’t,” he said then, laughing, “Have you forgotten how much of a mess I am? I used to be too insecure to even fall in love before I met you. I distrusted everyone and I had no real connections to speak of. I was pitiful, basically. Then you came into my life and refused to let me be so closed off. It was as if you were saying, ‘playtimes over, grow up’, but in the best way possible, and for that I’ll always be grateful.” My cheeks flushed.

“It was nothing. I-I mean, you did the same for me too. Back then I was just letting everyone use me and I never did anything for myself. I kept telling myself I was fine with that but, I wasn’t. You changed that, so,” I said, biting my lip nervously.

“See? We’re both immature and mature in our own ways, making up for each other’s faults. There’s no reason for you to feel lesser for it. You don’t look down on me, do you?” he asked.

“No!” I said quickly and he laughed.

“So there’s no reason for me to look down on you. It’s as simple as that,” he said and my eyebrows furrowed.

“You really don’t mind me being so skittish and always needing reassurance?” I asked carefully. He reached over and grasped my hand.

“Of course not. Trust me, if it bothered me, you’d know. I’d like you to become more certain about us for your own sake, however, I understand these things take time and I don’t mind waiting, as long as it takes. Actually, in a way, I could put up with it  _ forever _ ,” he said, giving me a look, and I stared at him. I was unsure how to respond. Why did his words feel so powerful?

I watched him curiously, taking a sip of my water. He looked away, stirring the ice in his cup. His other hand still lingered on mine. He’s up to something, I can just feel it.

“Masaomi, can I ask you something?” he said.

“S-sure,” I said.

“Earlier, you disagreed with me when I said I wasn’t deserving of your time and energy. How much of your time and energy do you think I deserve, then?” he asked. My eyes widened and my cheeks flushed.

“A-as much as I can give you, obviously, You’re really important to me, after all,” I said, looking away. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him lean forward in interest. I used to find that so intimidating but, now, I knew it meant he cared.

“How long is that exactly? A couple of years? Until I  _ die? _ ” I chewed on my lip, hesitating. I mean, I knew what  _ I  _ wanted but, I doubted  _ he  _ wanted the same.

“I’ll stay with you as long as you want! I really like being with you and I want you to be happy,” I said. He squeezed my hand, grinning.

“I know you would. What do  _ you  _ want, my love?” I looked back at him. His red eyes sparkled like wine, his whole focus now entirely on me. I shuffled my feet under the table nervously.

“Well, I...it might sound silly or stupid but, if I could, I’d like to stay with you  _ forever _ ,” I said, immediately blushing at my own words.

He pulled away, grinning from ear to ear.

“Prove it,” he said. I flinched back.

“What?”

“You heard me. If you really want to stay with me forever, prove it,” he said. I paled. I didn’t know how to do that! I mean how do you prove...unless.

“This might not be enough but, if I  _ did  _ have a ring and I was good at all that stuff, well...I’d probably propose to you,” I said and his grin somehow widened.

“Would you now? Oh, if only we had a ring,” he said then, feigning realization and searching his suit jacket. “That’s right! Silly me, I almost forgot. Would this help?” He took out a small, black box, turning over my hand and placing it there. My first thought was thank goodness, I could actually try to prove my point and Izaya would realize how much I cared for him.

“Yeah, it would, tha-” Then the realization sunk in. 

I stopped, expression dropping, looking back and forth from the box to Izaya, slow at first then frantically. It was a box, no, not just any box, a  _ ring  _ box. Izaya had a ring box he had been carrying around this  _ whole  _ time! One question filled my head: “Why did Izaya have a ring?”. Though the answer was obvious, I just couldn’t believe it. Things from that day started to make sense. Why he had said, “I’m sorry, I just find it ironic for...reasons”, when I questioned our relationship, him slipping into the bathroom without explanation to “check on something”, his nervousness throughout the evening, Shinra and Celty’s behavior towards him. When I finally accepted it, I had no words. My lip quivered and I dropped the box onto the table, bringing my hands up to my mouth. It was like the world had stopped. Was this a dream, had I passed out at some point? It had to be, right? I mean, could Izaya really want to… He had to hold back a chuckle at my dramatic reaction, carefully picking up the box from the table and standing. Wait, hold on, no, this can’t be happening. He got down on one knee in front of me and I nearly screamed, wanting to fan myself, I thought I might pass out.

“Listen, I’m not good at this, clearly, yet that doesn’t change my intentions. I’ve mulled over this for a long time and I  _ know  _ this is what I want. Actually, I can’t imagine going in any other direction. It wouldn’t sit well with me,” he explained, looking up at me determinedly. “Believe it or not, I’ve only fallen in love once and it was with you. It’s just not the kind of thing that comes naturally to me, so when it does happen, it’s special.” My face turned red and I could tell he was being genuine. For once, he wore a vulnerable expression without being asleep. “Now, I can’t just let a human that manages such a fantastic achievement walk away, can I? No, it’d be foolish of me. So, keeping all that in mind, what do you say? Masaomi, will you marry me?” He opened the lid, revealing the contents inside. My eyebrows raised as I took it in. The ring was gorgeous. It had a thin, black band with a square gem as the focus. The gem was a mix of yellow and black, taking on an orangish color. The center was brighter than the deemed exterior and the gem was surrounded by an ornate design. 

In all honesty, at some point in my life, I had given up on the idea of marriage. It was the kind of thing I expected everyone else to experience but me. I could never settle down with anyone, Hell, I barely knew what love truly was. Even after I settled down with Izaya and we dated for a long time, I never thought about marriage. I always enjoyed the idea, I found it dead romantic and I was jealous of couples like Anri and Mikado or Celty and Shinra, ones I was sure would make it all the way. I mean, who would want to marry me, and Izaya didn’t seem like the type. I was fine with that, I had accepted it. Yet now, here I was, Izaya on one knee, claiming he wants to be with me  _ forever _ , and a ring in front of me. The scared part of me wants to think he’s lying, to laugh it off as some kind of joke, but I know from the look in his eyes he’s not playing around. As all these thoughts race through my head, he waits for my reply patiently, not saying anything and refusing to take back his proposal. If this were a dream, I know I would have woken up by now or he would have changed his mind. The scene wouldn’t keep playing like this in such a wonderful way. It only took me a couple of seconds to become overwhelmed with emotion, tears filling my eyes, the small waterworks soon turning into full out sobbing. I tried to speak, the words becoming jumbled, so, instead, I fell into his arms and pulled him into a tight hug. My tears wet the shoulder of his suit, the stains almost invisible on the deep black. It caught him off guard but, after a while, he hugged me back.

He let me compose myself before asking for clarification. “Is that a yes, then?” I nodded, pulling away and wiping at my eyes. Still, no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop myself from crying.

“Of course it is. You idiot, I can’t believe you!” I said, smiling like a dumbass to the point my cheeks hurt. He smiled as well, eyes shining brightly as he took my hand and slowly slid the ring on. I gasped a little as I felt the smooth, cold metal on my finger. It fit perfectly. I couldn’t stop myself from looking at it, moving my hand around, and watching the gem gleam in the light. He planted a gentle kiss on my hand.

“This morning I had no idea how you’d react to my proposal. I know how sensitive you are about these things, so I suspected you either wouldn’t answer at all or would say no to the commitment. This went better than I expected, wouldn’t you agree, my lovely fiance?” he said and with his words, the world began to move again. I had come out of that strange bubble of time  _ engaged _ . 

For the rest of our time there, I couldn’t stop myself from crying tears of joy. I kept remembering all the reasons I loved that man. Back then, I thought I was completely unlovable, that I’d be alone forever and that things were better that way. He proved me wrong. He took the darkest years of my life and turned them into something worthwhile. Now, I had believed that I wouldn’t settle down with anyone, that no one would want to spend that much time with me, and had forced myself to come to terms with that. Once again, he flipped my expectations on their head and proved me completely wrong. He sat next to me in the booth, holding me in his arms and letting him sit on his lap. He ordered me something warm to help calm me down, yet didn’t tell me off for crying. I constantly apologized for it and he’d just kiss me on the head or nose and assure me it was alright. 

After we went home, I learned he was putting on a brave face. We sat in bed together that night and he asked all sorts of questions. “Do you have any regrets?”, “You know I  _ do  _ intend to marry you, don’t you? I won’t stall forever”, “you’re sure about this?”. When I said yes to all his questions He just sat there, staring at the wall. Then, slowly but surely, his features scrunched up and he hid his face in the sheets, his body trembling with sobs. At first, I was worried, I thought maybe he had changed his mind and didn’t want to marry me after all. Then, I realized...they were tears of relief. In the end, maybe I wasn’t the only one that expected to always be alone. I held him in my arms for hours. It was a late night. We laid there, laughing, crying, and talking until we both drifted off. I wouldn’t have wanted my Valentine’s day to go any other way.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [My Fandom Blog](https://fanschaotictrash.tumblr.com/)  
> [One Shot Announcement](https://fanschaotictrash.tumblr.com/post/643115287665950720/kizaya-valentines-day-special-kizaya-one-shot) (reblogging helps so much!)


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